Apparatus fob rolling radiator



J. SALZER APPARATUS FOR ROLLING RADIATOR CORE ELEMENTS Original Filed Feb. 9, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnvenfor JaJvz w ZYM J. SALZER Dec. 30, 1947.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING RADIATOR CORE ELEMENTS Ori inal Filed Feb. 9, 1942 4 Sheetsr-Sheet 2 Invenl or Dec. 30, Q 1947.

J. SALZER APPARATUS FOR ROLLING RADIATOR CORE ELEMENTS 4 Sheets-Shet :5

ori inal Filed Feb. 9. 1942 42% 6'0 Zz'er (Wavy M J. SALZER APPARATUS FOR ROLLING RADIATOR cons ELEMENTS I Original Filed Feb. 9, 194,2

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 0 55 72 Sally),

Reiuued Dec. 30, 1947 V Re. 22,956

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING RADIATOR CORE ELEMENTS John Salzer, Houston, Tex, asslgnor to Pale B. Daniel, Harris County, Tex.

Original No. 2,378,661, dated June 19, 1945, Serial No. 430,122, filed February 9, 1942.

Application for reissue filed September 8, 1945, Serial This invention relates to apparatus for roducing formed and shaped blanks for use in the construction of the water tubes and intervening louvered fins of internal combustion engine, and other, radiators and more particularly to an apparatus and method for producing said elements in a single continuous pass from sheet metal in roll form, and the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and efflcient arrangement of the character indicated which greatly speeds up and reduces the expense of production.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel apparatus for producing such elements in a single continuous pass from sheet metal in roll orm.

It is a further object of the invention to provide novel means for folding the strip of metal to provide the required flutes which form the air passageways through the completed radiator.

A still further feature of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement of the character described by means of which the operation of folding the strip of metal will be greatly speeded up and the expense of production correspondingly reduced.

Other-important objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description taken in connection with the appended drawings, wherein for purposes of illustration preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown.

Referring more particularly to the drawings:

Figure l is a general top plan view of an embodiment of the invention for producing the V-shaped cross section type of radiator core forming element, with portions in horizontal sec-- Figure '7 is a transverse vertical sectional view v taken through Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a general top plan view of another embodiment of the invention.

8 Claims. (Cl. 153-47) 2 taken through the second embodiment approximately centrally.

Figure is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 8 along the line Ill-Ill.

- lookin in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken through the rollers of the apparatus shown in Figure 8, illustrating the cooperation between the upper and lower rollers in the formation of the radiator core elements.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary plan view of the radiator core element formed by the rollers shown in Figure 12.

Referring in detail to the drawings and first to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 71', the numeral 5 generally designates the machine as a whole, the same comprising a fiat rectangular base 6 for resting on and securingto a supporting surface 1, and rectangular walls 8 and 9 respectively, rising from the opposite longitudinal sides of the base. Intermediate their ends, the walls have vertical slots ill opening-through their upper edges which slidably receive the pairs of upper and lower removable bearing blocks i i and i2, respectively, which have flanges l3 and l4,respectively, bearing on the outer and inner sides of the walls 8 and 9 and are secured in place by studs l8 which screw into holes I! in the said pper edges.

The upper bearing blocks 1! journal oppo-e tri Outside of the wall 8 the shafts have fixed there-. on the meshing gears 20 and 2i which coordinate and time the upper and lower shaping rollers 22 and 23, respectively, with relation to each other. Outside of the opposite wall 9 the lower shaft l9 has a worm wheel 24 fixed thereon which is in mesh with a worm 25 fixed on a longitudinal shaft 26 whose opposite end portions are journaled in lugs 21 and 28 depending from a horizontal longitudinal portion 29 of a bracket 39 which is secured to the outer side of the wall 9 adjacent its upper edge in the position indicated in Figures 1 and 3. The rearward end of the worm shaft 26 has a power adapter 3! enabling-v ets 33 which have forwardly projecting portions Figure 9 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view 34 in which. end portions of upper and lower bending and fluting shafts 35 and 35 are journaled. The left hand ends of the shafts 35 and 35 have meshin gears 31 and 33, respectively, which coordinate the operation of these shafts. The opposite end of the upper fluting shaft 35 has a larger gear 39 which is operatively meshed with an idler gear lllmounted on a stub shaft 4| on the wall 9, a gear 32 fixed on the upper roller shaft l8 being in mesh with the idler gear 40. As a result the vertically spaced fluting shafts 35 and 35 are timed and coordinated with the rollers 22 and 23.

The surfaces of the fluting shafts are longitudinally grooved as indicated at 43 to define equally circumferentially spaced longitudinal elements 44 extending between the brackets 33. The upper fluting shaft 35'is positioned slightly forwardly with respect to the lower fluting shaft 35 as indicated in Figures 2 and 4.

The upper corners of rear ends of the walls 3 and 9 are notched to define the horizontal rest 45 and the vertical abutment 45. A yoke or bridge 31, comprising a transversely elongated bar 43 has its forward edge positioned against the said abutments and is spaced upwardly from the rests 45 by spacers 49, with studs 53 passing through the ends of the bar 43 and the spacers and threading into holes formed in the rests. The studs also pass through openings formed in a flange on a sheet metal arcuate hood 5! which spacedly overhangs the upper roller 22 as shown in Figure 2, the said flange being thereby supportably traversed by a bolt 53 which has a foot 54 on its lower end with a helical expanding spring 55 circumposed on the bolt between the said foot and ,the bottom of the 1118 52, which lug is an extension of bar 43. A nut 55 supplemented by a lock nut 51 is threaded on the upper end of the bolt 53 to adjust the compression of the spring 55. The foot 5| bears down upon the heavy elongated pressure plate 58 which is equipped with a handle 59 by which it may be slidably removed or adjusted in position between two horizontally elongated vertical plates 53 whose forward end portions are secured against the inner sides of the side walls 3 and 9 and whose rearward end portions project rearwardly from the said side walls.

The plates 53 have facing grooves 6| formed near their upper edges and in which are secured the side edges of the horizontal material guide 4 the bottom of the plate 31 at a distance slightly greater than the greatest vertical dimension of the formed portion 59 of the sheet metal blank 63. The forward edge of the intermediate plate is substantially rearwardlyspacedfrom the forward edge of the upper plate 51. The lower plate ill is slidably removably mounted between plate 52 upon which the sheet metal blank 63 slidably rests, with the pressure plate 58 resting thereon with the force of its own weight and the downward pressure exerted on it by the spring pressed foot 54. The rearward part of the pressure plate 53 has a lateral limit stop 54 to engage the rear end of one of the plates to prevent forward over-reaching of the pressure plate beyond the forward end of the guide plate 52. The rear end of the guide plate is upwardly beveled as indicated at 55. The top of the guide plate 52 is on a level with the space between the immediately opposed portions of the upper and lower shaping rollers 22 and 23.

In front of the said rollers is the assembly 55 comprising three horizontal plates. The upper flxed plate 51 is secured to and between the side walls 3 and 9 with its bottom approximately on a level with the top of the guide plate 52. The upper plate 51 extends from a point between the shaping rollers 22 and 23 to the forward ends of the side walls 3 and 9. The intermediate flxed plate "is secured between the said side walls and has its upper surface imaged below the side walls Band 9 and is sufficiently spaced below the intermediate plate and the upper plate to enable the necessary partial bending Of the formed portion 59 of the sheet metal blank while preventing undue downward deflection.

In view of the above arrangements and the presence at predetermined longitudinal intervals in the formed portion 99 of the metal blank of transversely extending alternately upwardly and downwardly convexed bends or flutes H, the tendency is for the blank to bend alternately in opposite directions, that is, upwardly and downwardly as the blank reaches toward the forward end of the assembly. This tendency is given effect by the arresting action On the forward movement of the blank as it emerges from the assembly 65 which is provided by the engagement of the foremost part of the blank in a groove 01' one of the two relatively slowing turning bending shafts 35 and 35 and is as a result buckled or bent along the immediately following bend or flute H. As the resulting accordion pleat H is fully formed it reaches toward the roller opposed to that first engaged and the apex of the fold engages in one of the grooves thereof. As the floating shafts 35 and 36 turn in opposite directions, the pleats are worked. forwardly from between these rollers as indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The shaping rollers 22 and 23 may have any suitable or desired contours in accordance with the depressions, elevations, and cuts wanted in the finished core elements. The flutes II are formed by longitudinal circumferentially spaced members comprising the male elements 12 and the mating female elements 13. Between the adjacent male and female elements, which alternate around the rollers, are the longitudinally staggered, circumferentially alternating combined forming and cutting bosses 14 which produce the concavo-convex depressions 15 and raised portions 15 in the sheet metal blank 53 with slits between them and it passes between the rollers, as shown in Figure 7. The arrangement of the bosses gears the rollers together through the interventing sheet metal, which for forming radiator core elements, is preferably copper. I

Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figures 8 through 13 of the drawings, the same numerals, .primed with a, designate the parts similar to those of the first described embodiment. In the second embodiment the walls 3a and 3a are shortened and vertically elongated, and slotted from the upper end at Illa to accommodate the bearing blocks Ha for the upper shaping shaft Ila, the blocks having the elongated heads bolted at |5a to the upper edges of the walls 8a and 9a. The lower shaping shaft 19a is journaled in bearing blocks 12a seated in horizontal slots I9a opening through the forward ends of the walls 3a and 9a with the heads lid of the said blocks bolted at 32a to the forward ends of the walls. The shafts Ma and Na are vertically aligned and have fixed thereon the upper and lowershaping' rollers 22a and 23a, respectively. The rollers are geared to each other through the intervening sheet metal strip or blank 03 and have no operativeconnection. The shaft Ila is driven hrough a worm wheel a fixed on its right hand end, meshed with a worm "a fixed on a worm shaft "a horisontally lournaled in longitudinally spaced parts of lthe bracket Ila, the rearward and exposed end) of the shaft "a having a power adapter Us horizontal plate a slightly turned up at its rearward edge and provided on its forward edge with a vertical flange which has end portions bolted at 11 to the forward ends of the side plates "a, which in the present embodiment extend forwardly of the walls to and 9a. The bolts 11 also securably pass through an upwardly and rearwardly curved hood Ma which spacedly overlies the upper roller 224. As in the case of the first embodiment the strip sheet copper 8*: is manually fed from a roll thereof between the rearward ends of the pressure plate 580. and the guide plate 62a, or with the pressure plate 58a removed the strip is laid on the guide plate 62a and moved'forwardly until between the forming rollers and the pressure plate then replaced.

whereat the machine, if not already operating,

is ready for operation. The shaping rollers 22a and 23a are made up of axially adjacent disks each one of which has characteristic depressions orelevations adapted to mate with the elevations and depressions, respectively of the related disks of the other roller. as the rollers are revolved with the sheet metal therebetween, thereby gearing the rollers together and forming the metal at thesame time.

The formed blank 69a is characterized by marginal open ended elevations 15a and by centralized closed end elevations 16a, with transversely elongated depressions 18 extending laterally from and communicating with the opposite ends of the centralized elevations 160., the outer ends of the depression 18 leading into circular depressions l9 spacedfrom the inner ends of the marginal elevations 15a. The peripheries of the disks forming the rollers are formed appropriate to the described formations. The upper shaping roller 22a is keyed at 80 to the upper shaft'l8a while the lower shaping roller 23a, is not so keyed.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the emhodiment shown in Figures 8 through 13 produces an unperforated or unslitted blank from which water circulating tubes may be constructed by sealing together the side margins of two said blanks; superimposed one upon the other and the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 7 produces a slitted and folded blank for use as louvered, air circulating fins between the water circulating tubes. The transversely aligned elevations shown in Figure 13 serve as spacers to receive the corresponding apexes of the adjacent folds of the fins between them to aid in accurately fitting the fins to the water tubes in assembling said parts in the construction of radiator cores.

\ The drawings and description disclose what are now considered to be preferred forms of the invention by way of illustration only while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

iii

1. Apparatus for producing in a single continuous pass I, metal strip characterized by regular lateral displacements. said apparatus comprising an entrance structure for receiving a blank metal strip, upper and lower shaping rollers arranged to engage the opposite sides of the strip, means on the rollers which co-act to transversely crease the .strip on opposite sides and at regular intervals apart, a guideway through which the creased strip passes from said rollers, and rotatable nuting members mounted in spaced relation to each other, said fluting members being formed with circumferentially spaced projections, means for rotating said members, said fluting member being so coordinated with said rollers so as'to retard the forward motion of the strip and the arrangement and spacing of said members being such that the projections engage with the strip and alter-' natively bend the strip at the creases in opposite directions.

2. Apparatus for fluting a metal strip comprising upper and lower co-operating feed rollers arranged to'engage the opposite sides of the strip, means for driving said rollers to advance the strip, said rollers having raised portions and depressions arranged to form the strip with reinforced portions separated by uniformed portions extending laterally of the strip, means for guiding the metal strip as it passes between said rollers, rotatable fluting shafts mounted for rotation in spaced relationship, said shafts being formed with circumferentially spaced projections, means for rotating said shafts at a lower peripheral speed than said rollers, and said fiuting shafts being arranged so that the projections engage with the strip and alternatively bend the strip at the unformed portions in opposite directions.

3. Apparatus for forming a strip of sheet material, a pair of co-operating rollers arranged to engage the opposite sides of the strip, means for driving said rollers to advance the strip, said rollers having raised portions and depressions arranged to form the strip with reinforced portions separated by unformed portions extending laterally of the strip, guide means through which the strip may be fed between the rollers, fiuting shafts spaced forwardly of said rollers and also spaced apart for rotation in spaced relationship and having folding means thereon provided with substantially longitudinal grooves, strip positioning means between the rollers and fiuting shafts, the iiuting shafts being so constructed and so coordinated with the rollers as to retard the strip as it emerges from between said rollers causing it to bend in the unformed portions, said positioning means comprising vertically spaced horizontal surfaces permitting limited downward deflection of the strip by reason of engagement of portions of the strip with said grooves, said fiuting shafts operating in opposite directions with respect to each other and with respect to the rollers to produce alternate folding of the strip in upward and downward directions.

4. Apparatus for producing in a single continuous pass a folded metal strip, said apparatus comprising an entrance structure for receiving the blank metal strip, upper and lower rollers adjacent said structure and arranged to engage the opposite sides of the strip, means for driving said rollers to advance the strip, said rollers having raised portions and depressions arranged to form the strip with reinforced portions separated by unformed portions extending laterally of .the strip, a guideway to receive the strip as it leaves the rollersto confine the strip against lateral and vertical movement. and rotatable members mounted in spaced relation to each other and in advance of said rollers, said members being formed with circumferentially spaced projections, means for rotating said members at a lower peripheral speed than said rollers, the amusement and spacing of said members being such that the pro- 8 ward deflection of the metal strip with respect to the plane of its emergence by reason of the engagement of portions of the strip with the grooves of said fluting shafts, means for rotating said shafts at a lower peripheral speed than said rollers, the arrangement and spacing of said shafts being such that the grooves therein engage with jections engage with the strip and alternatively bend the strip at the unformed portions in oppt site directions.

5. Apparatus for producing in a single continuous pass a folded metal strip, said apparatus comprising an entrance structure for receiving the blank metal strip, upper and lower-rollers adjacent said structure and arranged to engage the opposite sides of the strip, means for driving said rollers to advance the strip. said rollers having raised portions and depressions arranged to form the strip with reinforced portions separated by unformed portions extending laterally of the strip, a guidewayztomeceivethe strip'as it leaves the rollers to confine the strip against lateral and vertical movement, and rotatable members mounted in spaced relationto each other with their axes slightly oifset horizontally and in advance oi said rollers, said members being'formed with circumferentially spaced projections, means for rotating said members at a lower-peripheral speed than said rollers, the arrangement and spacing of said members being such that the projections engage with the strip and alternatively bend the strip at the unformed portions in opposite directions.

6. Apparatus for producing in a single continuous pass a folded metal strip, said apparatus comprising an entrance structure for receiving the blank metal strip, upper and lower rollers adjacent said entrance structure andarranged to engage the opposite sides of the strip, means for driving the rollers to advance thestrip, said rollers having raised portions and depressions arranged to form the strip with reinforced'portions separated by unformed portions extending laterally of the strip, said entrance structure terminating at a point between the rollers for guid-' ing said strip between the rollers, a pressure regulated plate to slldably rest on the strip within said entrance, downwardly acting spring means pressing said plate upon the strip, and rotatable the strip and alternatively bend the strip at the unformed portions in opposite directions.

7. Apparatus for producing in a single continuous pass a folded metal strip characterized by regular lateral displacements, said apparatus comprising an entrance structure for receiving a blank metal strip, upper and lower shaping rollers between which the metal strip is advanced and arranged to engage the opposite sides of the strip, means for driving said rollers to advance the strip, said rollers having raised portions and depressions arranged to form the strip with reinforced portions separated by unforined portions extending laterally of the strip. opposed rotatable fluting shafts mounted for rotation in spaced apart relationship, said tinting shafts being formed with circumferentiaily spaced projections, means for rotating said fluting shafts at a lower peripheral speed than said shaping rollers, the arrangement and spacing of said shafts being such that the projections engage with the strip and alternatively bend the strip at the unformed portions in opposite directions.

8. The invention described in claim 7 wherein the tinting shafts rotate in opposite directions fluting shafts mounted in spaced apart relationand are so constructed and arranged that after the first fold or flute is formed in the front end of theadvancing metal strip the apexes of the succeeding folds come into contact with the projections of one shaft'and then with the projections of -the other shaft.

- JOHN SALZER.

nnrnnnncss crrnn The followingreferences are of record in the flle of this "patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS 

